“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

For as long as I can remember, the written word has played a major part in my life. As a child I would spend hours lost in the magical worlds created by authors such as CS Lewis, Louisa May Allcott, Laura Ingalls Wilder and Enid Blyton and, inspired by their colourful tales of mystery and adventure, I would often take pen to paper and create imaginary worlds of my own. However, it wasn't until I was in my mid-twenties and pregnant with my son that I realised quite how transformative writing could be. Like a lot of first time mothers I was feeling terrified at the seismic changes occurring, not just to my body but all areas of my life and I longed to be free from the resultant anxiety and depression and regain a sense of control. As luck would have it, in the latter stages of my pregnancy I came across a magazine article about the power of visualisation and this sparked a chain of events that would transform my life forever.

The article recommended readers take the time to visualise their perfect life and then devise a 2 - 5 year plan to make this dream a reality. Instinctively I decided to write about my perfect life rather than just visualise it, and as my pen flew across the paper I found a freedom to channel dreams I had never previously had the courage to contemplate, let alone achieve. I wrote about my dream home in the country (rather than the flat above a London chip shop), my role as a loving, confident mum (contrary to the hormonal, anxious wreck I had become) and my dream career as a successful author (rather than the unenthusiastic sales executive I had been prior to my pregnancy). I wrote pages that night, lovingly describing my perfect life in the most intricate detail and when I got to the part where I had to write a five year plan I felt a huge cloud lifting. Not only did I now have a set of goals and a sense of direction, but I could actually see how, with a considerable amount of hard work and determination, I could make my dreams come true.

So, did it work? Did I live happily ever after? Well, within three years I had moved to a fantastic home in the country, I was loving being a hands on, stay at home mum and I had my first book deal under my belt. Since then I have had five books, numerous articles and a weekly newspaper column published. I run various writing workshops, have written and directed a play and managed several London literature festivals. I have also had to deal with the pain of a marriage break-up, the upheaval of moving back to London, financial worries and ill health. And I can honestly say that writing has proved invaluable through all of life's ups and downs; helping me overcome long term insecurities, realise my wildest dreams and provide me with a source of wisdom and strength when times get tough. In 2005 I decided to train as a life coach so that I could amalgamate what I had learnt as a writer with techniques proven to help people achieve their goals. And so Finding the Plot was born. It is incredibly rewarding to be able to say to people in my coaching sessions, workshops and talks, 'if I can do it then so can you!'